Positive vibes

Ricardo Mannetti announced a 24-man training squad for the upcoming Cosafa Cup in South Africa, saying he picked his players based on the great atmosphere they had cultivated in the locker room and what they can provide for their country on the field of play.He emphasised it is important to pick a well-balanced squad that will work hard to bring the trophy home, as they face Zambia in their quarterfinal match on 2 June.Mannetti said he fielded an experimental squad when they played friendly matches against Lesotho and Swaziland recently and this yielded positives, as players such as Donovan Kanjaa and Ikuaterua Hoveka (Young African) received national caps.However, this time around he is out to compete against the best in Africa and needs an experienced core to fulfil their duties.He emphasised that last year's Cosafa Cup, where Warriors crashed out in the quarterfinals, was not his best tournament, as the atmosphere in the dressing room was not great.He said this situation he has now been rectified by picking players who want to be in the team and who want to work for their positions.“The dressing room is important to me. You find good players but they are not good for the dressing room. It makes the atmosphere very bad for everyone else.” Mannetti emphasised there was a lot of negativity during the match against Lesotho. “We assessed this situation and saw which players were good for the team,” he said.Mannetti said he does not want to work with top players who have a bad attitude, but will rather work with those who bring a positive vibe to the team.However, he stressed it's important to note that certain players were left out because of injuries. “Petrus Shitembi has an injury and has not featured for his club Tura Magic; based on that I could not call him up for Cosafa.“Striker Hendrik Somaeb has club issues. Lloyd Kazapua, our goalie, has not played much for Highlands Park. Larry Horaeb (Civics) did not get much game time at his club either. Benson Shilongo, who plays in Egypt, also picked up a groin injury,” Mannetti explained.Despite their absence, the team has quality players like Peter Shalulile, who was recently scooped the golden boot at his Highlands Park in South Africa. The Namibian is currently nursing an injury, which Mannetti said will heal in time, before the competition starts.Dynamo Fredericks (Black Africa), who has also been suffering from an injury, started with rehab on Monday and is gearing up to be part of the Cosafa Cup.Another player to look out for is Willem Pineas (Eleven Arrows). Pineas is versatile, plays on the wing and can also perform well as a striker. The squad also includes top goal scorer in the premier league Panduleni Nekundi, as well as Itamunia Keimune.It will be trimmed to 20 players before the Brave Warriors travel to Polokwane, South Africa.Brave Warriors training squad: Ratanda Mbazuvara, Maximillian Mbaeva, Edward Maova, Ferdinard Karongee, Vitapi Punyu Ngaruka, Tiberius Lombard, Denzil Haoseb, Donovan Kanjaa, Riaan Hanamub, Charles Hambira, Emilio Martin, Ananias Gebhardt, Ikuaterua Hoveka, Dynamo Fredericks, Ronald Ketjijere (captain), Gustav Isaak, Wangu Gome, Marcel Papama, Absalom Iimbondi, Willem Pineas, Peter Shalulile, Deon Hotto, Panduleni Nekundi and Itamunua KeimuineLIMBA MUPETAMI

Positive vibes

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-15

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Positive vibes

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-15

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